30 day very low carb starts today – advice?

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  • posted by Tululah
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    Hi all. Well here I am again! Ive been in and and out, up and down and all around this forum these past few years (hokey kokey member! 🙂 🙂 🙂
    Anyway hello hello to all of you who know me and sorry to those of you who i may have started conversations with then disspeared. Im not very reliable unlike many brilliant, steady people on this forum.
    So, I have set aside a clear 30 days from today (which of course will continue after that) to kickstart my low carb life. I have read Taubes, love Mr Fung and I’m opting for an Atkins style plan. I know this is right for me from previous experience but want to finally kick the cravings, face up to the temptations and be alert & ready to meet the challenges of life head on. These are the real issues for me.
    My plan is to ‘fast ‘ from 8pm to Noon every day (which I aready do) have my protein & fats with 20 carbs per day (mostly from greens and some flaxseed wraps etc) for the first 2 weeks.
    Any hints or tip for:
    –sugar cravings?
    –crisps & crispiness craving
    Should I stear clear of a little 85% dark choc at his stage. Did any of you use stevia or anything to help? I have a pain condition and have bad sleep so sometimes the sweet craving can be overwhelming.

    Any other advice gratefully accepted!
    Sending good vibes to everyone
    Thanks Tullulah xxxxx

  • posted by JGwen
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    Hi Tululah, Good to hear from you again.
    The one tip I would share after reading your post is to drop the idea of artificial sweeteners. – The problem is that the taste of anything sweet is enough to trigger an insulin response, which is enough to keep you on the roller coaster ride of hunger.

    The longer you can stick on low carb with no falling off the waggon the more your system will heal and you will be able to break free from the cravings.

    As you know there are plenty of voices on the forum from people who have had long term success with this way of eating. Just shout out if you want help.

  • posted by Tululah
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    Thanks JGwen, Good to hear from you. Hope you are well and thriving! Ive just discovered flaxseed meal today and how to make it easily into 1g carb wraps. Im very happy! Will let you know how i get on over next few weeks.
    Tullulah xxxx

  • posted by JGwen
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    Hi Tululah,
    I am doing really well, am down 7 stone so far which takes me over my initial target weight loss. – But my initial target was to get back to my average weight as an adult. I freely admit my average was overweight and I spent decades of yo yo dieting trying to keep my weight down to just overweight.

    Now I have the tools to focus on having a healthy body composition for the first time in my life and I am enjoying the progress.

  • posted by Tululah
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    Hi JGwen! Sorry for the delay in posting but I have been consumed with sticking to this along with all that life throws in. So thats my first 2 weeks finished today and Im 12 lbs down which is good news. I feel sharper and much more focussed than Ive been in ages. Some days I feel great and other not so great. If Im honest Im a little dissapointed as I only lost 4 lbs this week as I have made a momentous effort and feel like I should have lost more if you know what I mean. I have no plans to stop doing this however. If I average out at 4lbs per week I will be more than happy. Ive been studying my macros and I think my calories have been too high with the fat so Ive decided to lower them. I started at 226 lbs (16 stone 2, 102 kilos). Im now keeping to 20 grams carbs, around 60/70 grams protein and around 130 fat. Ive made fat bombs this week which are great for a little sweet hit as well as getting the fat levels up. I also make 1g carb flaxseed wraps which have been an absolute life saver. I had a look back on your posts and I think Im round about where you where 2 years ago so hope to be where you are in 2 years from now! Im not really sure where I fit in this forum and dont want to give out keto advice when people are doing 5:2 etc. Am I still in the right place?
    I have been struggling last few days but to be honeest I think its starting to be psycological. Cant really explain – just that feeling that something is missing? I guess Im not drinking or doing the unhealthy things that used to my outlets (stuffing crisps into my face!) Working on it. Kind of craving thinks like beans and starches and just have a total blank as to what to eat sometimes. At times I just cant face anymore protein or fat and stare into the fridge with no appetite at all . Weird!!.:)
    Anyway, thank you so much for taking the time to reply to me and Ill KOKO!
    Sending lots of postivity to you and all the other warriers
    Txxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

  • posted by wendleg
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    Hi Tululah
    I see you have been chatting to JGwen (she’s great and her advice is legendary)
    Don’t worry about where you ‘fit in’. You fit in anywhere but if you want a bit more company and a boost now and then you could join us on the weekly, One Week at a Time thread or the Sensible September one ? We tend to focus on low carrb/keto more than 5.2 on those threads.
    I started at exactly the same weight as you exactly one year ago an that year has transformed my life ( 5 stone down). You can do it !

    Come and talk to us and we can suggest strategies if you are struggling with cravings, food choices etc at the moment.

    One thing I would say is not to be disappointed .Don’t focus on consistently massive numbers.12lbs down after 2 weeks is fantastic !! 4lbs in a week is also a great result !
    Stay with us T !

  • posted by JGwen
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    Hi T,
    I would agree with Wendy, your results so far are excellent but do not expect to continue to loose 4lbs in a week. – Remember that each lb of fat contains 3500 calories, so people like Dr Fung recommend that on days you completely fast you should expect to discard a maximum of half a lb. However, if you have a history of calorie counting while eating carbs you will hve one damage to your metabolic rate so it could be slower. – In the last year I have discarded less than 10kg, but that has translated to 6 inches discarded from my waist.

    I am the main nagger on the forum whenever anyone bemoans about a slow weight loss or stall that the scales are not the best way of monitoring progress. So lets get my usual lecture over with. – Did you know that each ltr of water you drink weighs 1kg. So depending on where you are in your fluid in <> out cycle of the day your weight can fluctuate by 4.4 lbs. Then there is the weight of the contents of your digestive system which depends on what you have eaten. 800 calories of celery weighs a lot more than 800 calories of cheese. Then there is the benefits of getting insulin under control also allowing other hormone systems to work as they should, which includes the growth hormone which triggers our body to maintain strong bones and build muscle after exercise. Obviously strong bones and muscle weighs more. – Anyway time to step off my soap box. 🙂

    There were some discussions on the forum a couple of months ago about BSD v Fast800 and where we should be posting because the website hosts seem to have combined the two . One nasty individual with multiple identities on the forum used it as an opportunity to attack some of the long term members. Thankfully the dust has all settled down again. Join in the weekly or monthly thread as you feel, you will find that there are people following all options on both.

    It is strange isn’t it breaking away from the eating habit. – It took me a while to realise that when I am thinking about the wording of a difficult letter I need to move. But years of office work where the only way it was socially acceptable to walk when thinking was to walk to the coffee machine or kitchen means I still head to the kettle mindlessly. – I work at home now, I can take the dogs for a walk with a notebook to record ideas or pace around the house if I want, I am no longer trapped at a desk under the watchful eye of a manager who values bums on seats more than progress.

    I get the something missing issue, I found it really interesting experimenting with 36 and 42 hour fasts earlier this year. – I hadn’t realised until then that I tended to associate finishing work / having me time / with sitting down in front of the TV with a meal even when I wasn’t hungry. Long soaks in the bath, spending time on a star light evening sat under a favourite tree while the dogs have a run, a good book are all my favourite gotos at present instead of eating in an evening.

    It is so interesting how our emotions masquerade as hunger. – Or rather how we have lost our ability to identify hunger. – But it is so liberating.

  • posted by Tululah
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    Thanks you both very much.
    Wendy yours words made me cry unexpectedly before i dashed off to work.:):):) I hadnt realised how internalised I had become this last 2 weeks and i guess mentally isoltated. Its an intense process and I do need support and like minded folk around or i think ill go a little insane. I’m just not very good at keeping up with commnication but Ill do my best and will check out the other threads you suggested. Thank you for your kind words they came just at the right time!
    JGwen, same with you. Your words mean so much to me and I know i need to get my ‘big girl pants’ on to make this WOL stick. Its full on committment planning and preparing meals, somtimes seperately from the family and being mentally prepared for all kinds of food challenges on a daily basis. And as i say, its my own mind that is the biggest challenge at the moment. It just wants to drag me right back to what it knows best! I have a very busy life and primary age children, work etc so I’m aware i will need to find some kind of ‘gotos’ also in and around the madness.
    You are both proper warriers and fantastic role role models. Thank you for taking the time with me and even though i have been here before, strangely, this time round feels different. I look forward to getting to know you both better and picking your brains for tips!
    Peace T xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx:):):)

  • posted by SunnyB
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    Hey Tululah – I too remember you from before and although you may feel you are facing an almost impossible task, with the right strategies you will get there. You have already identified the need to get your mindset right, which will make a huge difference. You are already making good progress, so on some level must know you can do this successfully. Breaking the task down into smaller chunks is helpful, so think about setting yourself some mini-goals and celebrate every one achieved and then set another and they don’t have to be directly weight related – getting in to the next weight band, hitting a certain BMI, dropping an inch on the tape measure, not having anything sweet for a whole week, reaching a certain fitness level, etc, etc.

    Food-wise, have a think about what you can pre-prepare and what meals you can make that will provide you with the low carbs you require, but that you can easily adjust for the rest of the family as necessary. Keeping things simple makes life easier and it sounds like you have plenty going on already.

    Know that you will be welcome on any thread and that we do our very best to be an inclusive community of posters, sharing our experiences, slips and trip as well as successes and advice and support, so please don’t limit yourself to just one thread.

    Best wishes for achieving your goals and I’ll look forward to reading of your progress ….

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